Yonen Buzz Manga Volume 1, 1

by Christina Plaka

Four young musicians Jun, Sayuri, Keigo and Atsushi, stand at a new threshold of their career. With the band they created in high school set on a path to rock 'n' roll stardom, will the demands of jobs, schoolwork, and relationships get in the way? This musical drama is set for an unforgettable rock odyssey.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598164031
• ISBN13: 9781598164039
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Tokyopop Classics
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 1 year
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS

Yonen Buzz was not a story I thought I'd enjoy, but it surprised me. This tale of a struggling rock band, on the verge of hitting it big and getting an audition for a big record company was extremely engrossing and was much about the lives and relationships of its cast, as it was about music, in an almost soap opera kind of way. Plastic Chew is the band and its members are finding themselves at odds with each other. Sayuri is ready to give up the dream altogether, tired of the struggle and wanting something more stable for her future. Her boyfriend Jun is struggling not only with the direction of the band's music but also with his relationship with Sayuri. Jun is an orphan and has an overwhelming reliance on the man who raised him, even though the rest of the band detests his interference with Jun. Further friction in the band results from Kiego Miyake, the band's drummer is overheard playing by the leader of Japan's biggest rock band. They are none to subtle in their attempts at trying to recruit Kiego, even meeting up with them as they go for their big audition. But what happens when it's time to take the spotlight and it seems the record executive shares an old secret with Sayuri? What will his influence be over the audition? Yonen Buzz had me captured with its range of diverse characters and real life complexes and insecurities. The creator Christina Plaka provides a commentary throughout the story that serves to flesh out the characters and her own influences, one big one being Nirvana. While the books teems with tension, it never becomes melodramatic or over the top. Jun in particular comes off frail both mentally and physically, inspiring sympathy from readers. I don't know where the story is going to go from here but I certainly am interested in seeing the outcome. Reviewed by Tim Janson